New Delhi, December 5
After more than 78 lakh residents of Delhi voted for the assembly polls yesterday, the Delhi Police have implemented "round-the-clock" security for the protection of the electronic voting machines (EVM).

There are 14 EVM counting centres located in schools and institutes spread across Delhi. The 11,993 EVMs that were used for the Delhi polls have been stored in these counting centres.

Police officers said that a platoon consisting of about 25 men of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and two platoons of the Delhi Police will be deployed at an EVM counting centre. The police platoons will comprise two inspectors, sub-inspectors, head constables and about 15 constables. An Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) will be in charge of the security at a counting centre.

"The CAPF platoon will be part of the 'inner cordon' security arrangement and will be guarding the 'strongrooms', where the EVMs have been stored," said the officers.

A senior polling official defined a "strongroom" as "a room where material enters and it cannot be taken out without the proper systematic procedures". A strongroom is kept under the surveillance of CCTV cameras. After the EVMs are stored inside it, the room is sealed and kept under the guard of the CAPF personnel.

The police officers also said that the security arrangements will be beefed up on December 8, when the counting of votes takes place. "The number of security personnel that have been deployed for the protection of the counting centres will be more than doubled than what it is now. There may be two ACPs supervising the security at these centres," said the officers.

According to polling officials, the counting of votes will begin at the counting centres about 8 am on December 8 and is likely to be completed on the same day.

This correspondent visited N. P. Bengali Girls' Senior Secondary School in Gole Market, which is the only counting centre in New Delhi District. A senior polling official there explained the procedure of how the EVMs are stored and the votes are counted.

There are about 1,100 odd polling booths located in seven assembly constituencies of New Delhi District. After the polling ended late in the evening yesterday, the EVMs from these polling booths were brought to the school in Gole Market and were stored in the strongrooms there.

"A returning officer is responsible for each of the seven constituencies. He ensures the security of the EVM machines of his particular constituency," said the official.

The counting centre located in the school has seven counting halls, one for each of the seven constituencies. "A counting hall consists of several counting tables where the EVMs are kept and the counting of votes takes place. During counting, these tables are kept around a cage, which is locked. The idea behind this cage is that no outsider should destroy the EVMs," explained the official.

New Delhi, December 5
Seemapuri in north-west district witnessed highest voter turnout of 72.19 per cent yesterday while the Ballimaran constituency of the walled city remained lowest with 56.20 polling percentage, said the officials of Delhi Chief Electoral Office.

North-east part of Delhi has been the most participant in the voting process as 68.48 per cent voting was observed there, which is highest among all the districts.

The poll turnout in the New Delhi constituency, which is the battle ground for Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Aam Admi Party's Arvind Kejriwal, saw a moderate poll turnout with 65.95 per cent polling, while Krishna Nagar in east Delhi, from where BJP's chief minister candidate Harsh Vardhan is contesting, saw 67.50 per cent balloting.

"There are only six constituencies out of total 70 which have crossed the mark of 70 per cent polling. These include Sadar Bazar (70.41%), Shakur Basti (70.19%), Tri Nagar (70.38%), Seemapuri (72.19%), Gokulpur (71.16%), Mustafabad (70.87 %)," said Chief Election Officer Vijay Dev.

Despite several efforts taken by the Delhi Election Office to spread awareness about voting, the areas which failed to draw voters to the polling booths include Delhi Cantt, Rajender Nagar, Badli and Ballimaran as polling percentage here remained below 60 per cent.

The assembly elections also saw an upfront participation by women as 44 per cent females cast their vote out of total 77,71,102 votes that were polled, whereas the overall percentage was 65 per cent. Ballimaran saw maximum female voters, 74.15 per cent.

A record 65 per cent of Delhiites voted for the 14th Delhi Assembly elections yesterday.

New Delhi, December 5
With the rush seen on the tables erected by Aam Adami Party (AAP) supporters on polling centres suggested that it was triangular contest and the AAP had emerged as a third force in Delhi, said Delhi BJP chief Vijay Goel.

Talking to mediapersons here today he said, "We had never considered the AAP as a challenge, but after getting the feedback from party activists it seemed that the party is stronger than the Congress. It has its table on each polling station and its polling agents were also deployed at every polling booth. There was rush of electorates on the AAP's table," he said.

The election was interesting because of the AAP's serious involvement in the process. Anti-incumbency vote was divided between the BJP and the AAP. The AAP has cut the votes of both major parties - the Congress and the BJP, Goel added.

At various polling stations the AAP's activists were seen wearing white-coloured caps which is immoral. They should have not done this. During election hiding identity of the party is morality.

He said, "A few exit polls claim for hung assembly. But my assessment says that the BJP will secure two-third majority and will make government. But it is all on the basis of assessment. Nobody knows to whom the electorate has favoured."

This assembly election was of different kind. It is considered that slum and JJ clusters are vote bank of the Congress. But they were seen taking about the AAP yesterday.

New Delhi, December 5
Hundreds of students from several universities accompanied by a large number of UPSC aspirants participated in a march to Parliament called by Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) from Mandi House to the Parliament Street, demanding changes in the UPSC exam pattern.

The march was to protest against the exclusion of foreign languages as optional subjects from UPSC and the new Civil Services Aptitude Test and (CSAT) pattern introduced in the UPSC exam.

Calling for a thorough review of the UPSC syllabus and exam pattern, they have demanded restoration of "Foreign" languages, taught in Indian universities in the list of subjects of UPSC Civil Services Exam and granting of three additional attempts and age relaxation to the candidates who are caught in the transition of syllabus change of 2011 and 2013 among others.

"Why should Arabic and Persian which have centuries' long history of teaching-learning in India be called 'foreign'?" read some of the placards held by protestors during the demonstration called by the JNUSU.

"The UPSC's decision appears to be a conscious agenda to restrict the UPSC opportunities to the already privileged sections of society. The same government which is speaking of "globalisation" is excluding these languages which are being taught in UG/PG/Research level in several universities across the country," said JNUSU president Akbar Chawdhary.

The protest was also addressed by D.P. Tripathi from the National Congress Party and former JNUSU president - who expressed solidarity with the students' demands. Student representatives from Allahabad University, Patna University as well as from Lucknow University addressed the protest and pointed out the exclusionary nature of the UPSC's exam pattern.

New Delhi, December 5
A 19-year-old son of the Congress leader, Shakeel Saifi, and his friend have been arrested for allegedly injuring two motorcyclists when they rammed their car into the motorcycle while they were drunk in Nihal Vihar last night.

Saifi's son Mohammed Faiz and Faiz's friend Amit, who is in his 20s, have been arrested. According to the police, they were allegedly driving a Skoda car when the accident took place. On being asked if the car had a red beacon, a police officer investigating the case said, "Some residents of the area said that the beacon was inside, while others said that it was outside. We are investigating this matter."

"The car belonged to Saifi's friend named Rajiv who lives in Jhilmil Colony," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (West District) Ranvir Singh. The police have added the Motor Vehicle Act to the case, because the car which is a private vehicle is not allowed to use a red beacon.

Sources in the police department said that Saifi has political affiliations with Public Works Department Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan.

The injured motorcyclists have been identified as Krishan Kumar Pandey and his friend Shiv Kumar. They were on their way to Pandey's house when the accident took place. According to the officer, they were admitted to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital in outer Delhi. They were later referred to Balaji Hospital in Delhi. Pandey has been discharged.

"The medical reports of Faiz and Amit have confirmed that they had consumed alcohol," said Ranvir Singh.

According to the police, Faiz and Amit were returning to their houses from a party at their friend's house in Sultanpuri last night. When they reached A-Block of Nihal Vihar they had a head on collision with the motorcycle. The car also rammed into two carts and a tree before coming to a halt.

"When Faiz and Amit got out of their cars to inspect the accident, they were held by the residents and were beaten by them," said another police officer.

The police were informed about the accident about 10 pm. They took Faiz and Amit to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital.

A case under Sections 279 (rash driving), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of 50 rupees) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC has been registered.

New Delhi, December 5
A social worker-cum-journalist has been charged by the Delhi Police for allegedly creating enmity between different groups on religious grounds after she posted some remarks against BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on the social networking website, Facebook.

According to sources, the woman has been identified as Shiba Aslam Fahmi, who lives with her husband in Jama Masjid.

The police have registered an FIR against Fahmi after the Tis Hazari Court in Delhi directed them to do so.

Fahmi had lodged a complaint with the police against Pankaj Dwivedi for allegedly posting threatening comments against her on Facebook last year in response to her remarks on Modi.

The police registered a case under the Section 66 A (Punishment for sending offensive messages via electronic mail message) of the IT Act against Dwivedi. The Tis Hazari Court, however, acquitted Dwivedi of this section. In October this year, the court also ordered the Delhi Police to register a case against Fahmi for her Facebook remarks.

Following the order, the police have registered a case under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), of the IPC against Fahmi. She has not been arrested as yet.